In 1989, Bangladeshi photographer Shahidul Alam created art agency Drik to promote the use of photography as a tool of social justice. “I wanted to ensure that the only identity of Bangladesh would not be an icon of poverty”, he’s quoted as saying in a recent New York Times article by Amy Yee. A quarter-century on, Drik has evolved into a multipurpose arts hub. It’s also the host, since 2000, of Chobi Mela, Asia’s largest biannual contemporary photography festival.

Part of the interest of this story lies in its exploration of art and public outreach in Bangladesh. In 2013, Chobi Mela took images to the streets of Dhaka on bicycle carts. “Social engagement is part of what we do”, noted Alam. In 2009, Britto Arts Trust, an incubator formed by local artists in 2002, staged public exhibitions in Old Dhaka, registering 15,000 participants in a single day. While not everything runs smoothly in the Bangladeshi art world, such initiatives are important in expanding its social impact.

Of greater interest are the possibilities these initiatives open up for cross-cultural collaboration. With galleries such as Yangon’s Pansodan Scene starting to pursue parallel projects, cross-border artistic partnerships could now be formed to bridge a growing divide. Indeed, at a clearly difficult time in bilateral relations, engagement through public art shows mounted sequentially in Bangladesh and Myanmar would be one viable, though of course small, way to stimulate fresh thinking.